The public quarrel between New Zealand and the Cook Islands — which share a passport, a military and constitutional ties — is a victory for Beijing.

The Cook Islands said on Saturday that it signed a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with China - a move expected to raise concerns in New Zealand with which it has constitutional ties. The deal was signed by Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown during a visit to Beijing.

China is insisting that a visit this week by the prime minister of the Cook Islands to Beijing is not meant to conspire against anyone in the South Pacific. But the trip is creating a diplomatic dispute between the tiny nation and its chief financial supporter,

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown speaks during the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit at United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo BEIJING (Reuters) - China is willing to deepen mutual political trust with the Cook Islands,

By signing a deal with Beijing, the Cook Islands is asserting its independence – in a stark challenge to New Zealand’s Pacific strategy.

The Cook Islands has announced five-year agreement with China for the exploration of seabed minerals. New Zealand has urged the self-governing nation to keep to its "free association" relationship with Wellington.

A strategic partnership deal between China and the Cook Islands spans areas from deep-sea mining to education scholarships but excludes security ties, a document released by the Pacific island nation's government showed.

China and the Cook Islands signed an action plan last week for a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday, giving further details about a deal expected to raise concerns in New Zealand.

The Cook Islands is a self-governing nation and maintains free association with Wellington, sharing a head of state and citizenship rights

No details have been released, but analysts and environmentalists fear it will pave the way for closer security ties and the start of deep-sea mining.

The public quarrel between New Zealand and Cook Islands — which share a passport, a military and constitutional ties — was a victory for Beijing’s efforts to woo Pacific leaders and a blow ...

The tiny Pacific nation’s partnership agreement with China was signed amid a furious diplomatic row with New Zealand, its former colonial ruler.